Instructional training soccer ball

ABSTRACT

An instructional training soccer ball with color coded contact zones provided as a tutorial training guide of soccer ball striking skills in the development of novice and young soccer players. The color-coded zones correspond to different types of kicks including passes, strikes, curves, lobs/long balls, and chips, whereby when a player comes into contact with a color-coded zone with the appropriate part of their foot, the soccer ball will produce the corresponding type of kick. The soccer ball may also have one or more legends that is color coded and matches the corresponding contact zones whereby the legends tell the user what part of their foot to kick with, such as the inside foot or laces.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application62/553,155 filed on Aug. 23, 2017. The content of the above applicationis hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The overall field of the invention is sports training equipment and moreparticularly this relates to a soccer ball for training proper kickingtechnique.

BACKGROUND

The sport of soccer is the most widely popular and played sport in theworld with the World Cup viewed by over 3.2 billion people with 200countries competing for a spot in the finals. In soccer, being able toproperly kick a soccer ball accurately and skillfully is important if aplayer is looking to advance their career as well as improve theirproficiency and usefulness to the team. Proper kicking is critical in agame to produce accurate passes, have good ball control while dribbling,and create formidable shots on goal. A player needs to know where tokick the ball to achieve a desired distance, spin, and angle of theball's trajectory.

Learning how to properly kick a soccer ball is most important at ayounger age, where players more often than not revert to kicking theball with their toe. This is not only dangerous due to potential injury,but it immediately puts the player behind his or her teammates and canlead to a stalled or short career in soccer. There have been othersoccer balls used as training apparatuses but none of these prior artreferences provide the same detail and arrangement of contact zones forthe soccer ball that is critical for developing a young player's skillsand preventing later injury to their body. Thus, there exists the needfor an invention that will help prevent this from happening by guidingyoung players to learn how to properly kick a soccer ball.

SUMMARY

Embodiments in the present description are directed to a soccer ball forinstructional training comprising four contact zones, wherein thecontact zones are graphic illustrations on a surface of the ball, afirst contact zone in the shape of a ring around the surface of thesoccer ball with a center positioned as a latitudinal great circle ofthe soccer ball, a second contact zone in the shape of a ring around thesurface of the soccer ball with a center positioned as a longitudinalgreat circle of the soccer ball, a third contact zone in the shape of aring with a center as a great circle arranged diagonally to firstcontact zone and second contact zone of the soccer ball, and a fourthcontact zone in the shape of a bowl of hemispherical form positioned ata bottom of soccer ball.

It is an object of the present description to provide a method oftraining soccer players comprising, providing an instructional soccerball, the soccer ball having four contact zones, wherein the contactzones are graphic illustrations on a surface of the soccer ball, a firstcontact zone in the shape of a ring around the surface of the soccerball with a center positioned as a latitudinal great circle of thesoccer ball, wherein a pass is accomplished by coming into contact withthe first contact zone with an inside of a user's foot, a second contactzone in the shape of a ring around the surface of the soccer ball with acenter positioned as a longitudinal great circle of the soccer ball,wherein a strike is accomplished by coming into contact with the secondcontact zone with laces of a shoe on the user's foot, a third contactzone in the shape of a ring with a center as a great circle arrangeddiagonally to the first contact zone and second contact zone of thesoccer ball, wherein a curve is accomplished by coming into contact withthe third contact zone with the inside of the user's foot, and a fourthcontact zone in the shape of a bowl of hemispherical form positioned ata bottom of the soccer ball, wherein a lob/long ball or chip isaccomplished by coming into contact with the fourth contact zone withthe laces of the shoe on the user's foot. A user practices bypositioning the soccer ball with the bottom of the soccer ball incontact with the ground, finding a contact zone by identifying thelocation and appropriate color, identifying which part of the body isneeded to come into contact with the contact zone, and kicking thesoccer ball with the identified body part against the contact zone toperform the desired type of kick.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments,but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichlike references denote similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts the front side of instructional training soccer ball.

FIG. 2 depicts the back side of instructional training soccer ball.

FIG. 3 depicts the bottom side of instructional training soccer ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and the claimsbelow, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particularfeatures of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure ofthe invention in this specification includes all possible combinationsof such particular features. For example, where a particular feature isdisclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of theinvention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to theextent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of otherparticular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in theinvention generally.

Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or moredefined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order orsimultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), andthe method can include one or more other steps which are carried outbefore any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, orafter all the defined steps (except where the context excludes thatpossibility).

“Exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, orillustration.” Any aspect described in this document as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects.

Throughout the drawings, like reference characters are used to designatelike elements. As used herein, the term “coupled” or “coupling” mayindicate a connection. The connection may be a direct or an indirectconnection between one or more items. Further, the term “set” as usedherein may denote one or more of any item, so a “set of items,” mayindicate the presence of only one item, or may indicate more items.Thus, the term “set” may be equivalent to “one or more” as used herein.

The present disclosure recognizes the unsolved need for an instructionaltraining soccer ball with color coded contact zones provided as atutorial training guide of soccer ball striking skills in thedevelopment of novice and young soccer players whereby the playersstrike different marked zones on a certain area of the soccer ball toproduce different kinds of kicks including a strike, pass, lob/long balland chip, and curve. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, different views ofinstructional training soccer ball 100 are shown. Soccer ball 100 may bein the traditional spherical or truncated icosahedron shape with asurface having a plurality of hexagonal sections such as hexagonalsections 110 defined by seams such as seams 120. This, however, isnon-limiting and any other form or shape known by those of skill in theart may be used. Soccer ball 100 may include a plurality of visuallymarked contact zones such as contact zones in the form of graphicillustrations, corresponding to the type of kick that will be producedif the user kicks the ball at that particular contact zone and the partof foot the user should apply to kick the ball to produce thatparticular type of kick. The ball may be described to have two faces forthe front hemisphere and second hemisphere of the ball. The fronthemisphere is designed for kicking with the right food and the backhemisphere is designed for kicking with the left foot

Soccer ball 100 may have four contact zones 152, 154, 156, and 158,corresponding to the five main types of kicks in soccer, including pass,strike, curve, and lob/long ball and chip respectively. Contact zonesmay be placed on the surface of soccer ball 100 by screen printing orcolor printing. However, other methods may be used to place contactzones on the surface of the soccer ball such as prepared decals,stickers, or stitching. Soccer ball 100 may also be designed withcontact zones already constructed into the soccer ball 100. Contactzones 152, 154, 156, and 158 may be differentiated from one another inan easily identifiable manner, such as by color.

Soccer ball 100 may also have one or more keys or legends screen printedon soccer ball 100 that is color coded and matches the correspondingcontact zone 152, 154, 156, 158 on soccer ball 100. Legends may tell theuser what part of their foot to kick with such as the inside foot orlaces. The front hemisphere may have a legend such as legend 130. Legend130 may detail colors and the corresponding contact zone to be used withthe right foot. The back hemisphere may have a legend such as legend132. Legend 132 may detail colors and the corresponding contact zone tobe used with the left foot. Soccer ball 100 may also have identifiersuch as identifier 160, as shown in FIG. 3, screen printed on the soccerball to tell what part of soccer ball 100 needs to be placed on theground. Soccer ball 100 may also have identifiers such as identifiers162 and 164 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, screen printed onthe soccer ball to tell what foot is to be used on the identifiedsection of soccer ball 100.

Contact zone 152 corresponds to the pass and may be indicated by thecolor red. A pass is the most common type of kick. In a soccer game,soccer ball 100 is moved around the field from player to player by aseries of passes. A pass is accomplished by coming into contact aroundthe middle of soccer ball 100 with the inside of the foot. This puts aforward spin on the ball throughout its projection. Passes can beweighted, or kicked with more or less power, depending on the distancethe ball needs to travel. Contact zone 152 is in the shape of a360-degree ring with a thickness of 3 to 4 centimeters around thesurface of the soccer ball with a center positioned as a latitudinalgreat circle of soccer ball 100. To kick a pass with soccer ball 100, auser places soccer ball 100 on the ground with the proper side facingthe user using indicators 160, 162, and 164, such as for the sidedesignated for the right foot or left foot. The user then finds contactzone 152 by identifying the location and appropriate color using legend130 or 132. The user now identifies, using legend 130 or 132, that theinside foot part of their shoe is needed to come into contact withcontact zone 152. The user then kicks the ball with the inside foot partof their shoe against contact zone 152 to perform a pass

Contact zone 154 corresponds to a strike and may be indicated by thecolor green. A strike is most commonly used when shooting, or striking,the soccer ball. This is when a player kicks down on the central,top-half of the ball with their laces. This puts very little spin on theball throughout its projection. A player doesn't need to be thestrongest to kick the hardest, rather proper technique and a cleanstrike will yield maximum power. Contact zone 154 is in the shape of anarc with a thickness of 3 to 4 centimeters around the surface of thesoccer ball with a center positioned as a longitudinal great circle ofsoccer ball 100. The ends of the arc of contact zone 154 terminate atcontact zone 158. To kick a strike with soccer ball 100, the user placessoccer ball 100 on the ground with the proper side facing them usingindicators 160, 162, and 164. The user then finds contact zone 154 byidentifying the location and appropriate color using legend 130 or 132.The user, using legend 130 or 132, now identifies that the laces ontheir shoe is needed to come into contact with contact zone 154. Userthen kicks the ball with the laces their shoe against contact zone 154to perform a strike.

Contact zone 156 corresponds to a curve and may be indicated by thecolor blue. A curve is a slightly more advanced kick. The player kicksup on the ball using the inside of their foot. This puts a spin on theball allowing a bending motion throughout its projection. Contact zone156 is in the shape of a ring along the surface of the soccer ball witha center ring that is a great circle arranged diagonally to thelatitudinal and longitudinal lines of soccer ball. Contact zone 154 isin the shape of a 360-degree ring with a thickness of 3 to 4 centimetersaround the surface of the soccer ball with the center as a great circlearranged diagonally to the latitudinal and longitudinal lines of soccerball 100. To kick a curve with soccer ball 100, the user places soccerball 100 on the ground with the proper side facing them using indicators160, 162, and 164. The user then finds contact zone 156 by identifyingthe location and appropriate color using legend 130 or 132. The user,using legend 130 or 132, now identifies that the inside foot part oftheir shoe is needed to come into contact with contact zone 156. Theuser then kicks the ball with the inside foot part of their shoe againstcontact zone 156 to perform a curve.

Contact zone 158 corresponds to a lob/long ball and chip and may beindicated by the color orange. A lob/long ball is a kick that sends theball over a longer distance. A chip is a kick that sends the ball in theair at any distance. Ideally, this kick should have a slow backspin onthe ball. A lob/long ball or chip is typically performed by kicking withlaces on the lower part or under the ball. Contact zone 158 is in theshape of a bowl of hemispherical form having a diameter of 16 to 19centimeters positioned at the bottom of soccer ball 100. To kick alob/long ball or chip with soccer ball 100, the user places soccer ball100 on the ground with the proper side facing them using indicators 160,162, and 164. The user then finds contact zone 158 using legend 130 or132. The user, using legend 130 or 132, now identifies that the lacespart of their shoe is needed to come into contact with contact zone 158.The user then kicks the ball with the laces on their shoe againstcontact zone 158 to perform a lob/long ball or chip.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description and is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical application to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best use the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications suited to the usecontemplated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the aboveclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A soccer ball for instructional trainingcomprising: four contact zones, wherein the contact zones are graphicillustrations on a surface of the ball; a first contact zone in theshape of a ring around the surface of the soccer ball with a centerpositioned as a latitudinal great circle of the soccer ball; a secondcontact zone in the shape of an arc on the surface of the soccer ballwith a center positioned as a longitudinal great circle of the soccerball; a third contact zone in the shape of a ring with a center as agreat circle arranged diagonally to the first contact zone and thesecond contact zone of the soccer ball; and a fourth contact zone in theshape of a bowl of hemispherical form positioned at the bottom of thesoccer ball.
 2. The soccer ball of claim 1, wherein the contact zonesare screen printed onto the surface of the soccer ball.
 3. The soccerball of claim 1, wherein each of the contact zones having a differentlyspecified color from the other contact zones.
 4. The soccer ball ofclaim 1, further comprising a legend, wherein the legend is a graphicillustration on the surface of the ball, the legend detailing colors andthe corresponding contact zone.
 5. The soccer ball of claim 1, thesoccer ball having a front hemisphere and second hemisphere, the fronthemisphere and second hemisphere having a first and second legend, thefirst and second legend a graphic illustration on the surface of theball, the first legend detailing colors and the corresponding contactzone to be used with the right foot, the second legend detailing colorsand the corresponding contact zone to be used with the left foot.
 6. Thesoccer ball of claim 1, the first contact zone having a red color. 7.The soccer ball of claim 1, the second contact zone having a greencolor.
 8. The soccer ball of claim 1, the third contact zone having ablue color.
 9. The soccer ball of claim 1, the fourth contact zonehaving an orange color.
 10. The soccer ball of claim 1, the ring of thefirst, second, and third contact zones having with a thickness of 3 to 4centimeters.
 11. The soccer ball of claim 1, wherein the contact zonesare labeled.
 12. A method of training soccer players comprising:providing an instructional soccer ball, the soccer ball having fourcontact zones, wherein the contact zones are graphic illustrations on asurface of the soccer ball, a first contact zone in the shape of a ringaround the surface of the soccer ball with a center positioned as alatitudinal great circle of the soccer ball, wherein a pass isaccomplished by coming into contact with the first contact zone with aninside of a user's foot, a second contact zone in the shape of an arc onthe surface of the soccer ball with a center positioned as alongitudinal great circle of the soccer ball, wherein a strike isaccomplished by coming into contact with the second contact zone withlaces of a shoe on the user's foot, a third contact zone in the shape ofa ring with a center as a great circle arranged diagonally to the firstcontact zone and second contact zone of the soccer ball, wherein a curveis accomplished by coming into contact with the third contact zone withthe inside of the user's foot, and a fourth contact zone in the shape ofa bowl of hemispherical form positioned at a bottom of soccer ball,wherein a lob/long ball or chip is accomplished by coming into contactwith the fourth contact zone with the laces of the shoe on the user'sfoot; positioning the soccer ball with the bottom of the soccer ball incontact with the ground; finding a contact zone by identifying thelocation and appropriate color; identifying which part of the body isneeded to come into contact with a contact zone; kicking the soccer ballwith the identified body part against a contact zone to perform thedesired type of kick.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingrotating the soccer ball to a hemisphere, the soccer ball having a fronthemisphere and back hemisphere, the front hemisphere when facing theuser having a contact zone orientated to be used with the right foot,the back hemisphere when facing the user having a contact zoneorientated to be used with the left foot.
 14. The method of claim 12,further comprising displaying a legend wherein the legend is a graphicillustration on the surface of the ball, the legend detailing colors andthe corresponding contact zone for the user to identify which part ofthe body is needed to come into contact with a contact zone.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising displaying labels on the contactzones for the user to identify which type of kick will be produced whenkicking the soccer ball with the identified body part.
 16. The method ofclaim 12, the ring of the first, second, and third contact zones havingwith a thickness of 3 to 4 centimeters.
 17. The method of claim 12, thefourth contact zone has a diameter of 16 to 19 centimeters.
 18. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising identifying the bottom of thesoccer ball by an identifier indicating the bottom of the soccer ball.19. The method of claim 12, wherein the contact zones are screen printedonto the surface of the soccer ball.
 20. The method of claim 12, whereineach of the contact zones having a differently specified color from theother contact zones.